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 Posted: Sun Apr 04, 2010 1:16 pm
It was a beautiful winter-spring morning: there was a tracery of ice in the air but all around buds were springing into life and green was making a return to the forest. Iphis noticed none of this. The soft blue-white female was head first into a deer carcass. She had been lucky - it had surprised her as much as she it, and the stupid bloody thing had caught a hoof on an exposed root. A powerful grip with the sharper tenacity of hunger had done for it as soon as she'd come nearby and now the starving female was feasting on young stag-meat.
This last winter had not been kind to Iphis - her stocky stature meant it was hard for her to chase and the harshness of the snows had driven many of the smaller creatures deep underground. She was powerfully built, still, but beginning to be painfully thin and in her eager hunger, was almost choking on the warm, bloody meat.
She had been a lone wolf for a long time now, perhaps three seasons and it was that, perhaps, that sharpened her instincts even amidst her feeding frenzy. Her head came up suddenly, she was sure there was someone, another wolf, nearby. Banana-yellow eyes scanned the forest and she went into a crouch behind the deer. She might not be that bright, but she wasn't stupid. Was someone trying to sneak up on her? Had she come onto someone's packlands again? Was it simply a passer-by who'd scented her food? All these questions ran through her mind quickly, and a growl was barely held back in her throat as the last thought came up. It was hers!
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Posted: Sun Apr 04, 2010 6:12 pm
Penthesilea was busy with patrolling the lands that lay beyond the border of her pack. It was a simple job sure, but it was necessary, one could never be too lax with their patrols. She carried herself high, as per her station, there was no reason to hide her rank. No, in fact she was proud to be who she was. Though there always seemed to be that nagging voice in the back of her mind that warned her that doing so would bring about unwanted attention. Well that hadn’t happened so far, so why worry? Besides none of her old pack mates had come back to challenge her role as Queen, so chances are they wouldn’t do so today either.
The scent of fresh blood and another wolf came to her on the soft wind. None of her sisters were out this way hunting from what she knew, which could only mean that another was encroaching on her lands. It had best not be a male, she thought as she padded forward intent to check on this intruder. As she neared the deer carcass Penthesilea slowed her pace and then came to a stop a good distance away – though she could quite clearly see the blue female hiding behind the deer. “That is not the best hiding spot.”
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Posted: Mon Apr 05, 2010 3:00 am
Iphis was baited instantly, standing up to reply. "Aye, well, ah wisnae hidin' " she countered, looking at the other wolf appraisingly. Female, strong, tall. Covered in little baubles and feathers. Pretty, too. Typical - pretty wolves got whatever the hell they wanted an' she would end up hungry again if this female really decided to have a go at her.
She was still hungry though, her gorging unfinished. "This is mine" she said, her tone coming across a little less strongly than in her mind, where she challenged the best of them with indomitable strength. Iphis' mental landscape was quite rich, despite her slightly simplistic view of the world, and within it she was a strong, handsome dire wolf who roamed the land and took what she wanted. It was a good way, for her, to deal with a world she didn't sometimes understand and which hadn't really given her a good start.
"Ah suppose ah kin' share if yer hungry though" she said, doubtfully "not like ah kin eat it all by mahself" she added, after a moment. It was true - even in her hunger she'd never be able to eat a whole deer to herself though she was wary of the other wolf coming closer, she supposed it might buy her time to eat a bit more if it was someone else's packlands.
Even whilst the other stood there, the sky-blue female grabbed at another pieces of meat, wolfing it down with gusto, her maw stained with the deep red of the young buck's blood.
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Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 1:49 pm
Her blue eyes studied the female, she acted very much like a wolf who had been on its own for a while and felt threatened by any who approached. Penthesilea was used to dealing with just about any type of wolf she came across so this female would be no different. Lowering herself on her haunches to show that she meant no harm towards the other female Penthesilea glanced at the deer carcass and then back up at the wolf. "I did not come here to steal your meal."
She smiled a bit as the other offered to share. "Thank you for the offer, but I am not looking for a meal." She watched as the female tore into the deer again, she certainly was hungry wasn't she. "I am Penthesliea. What is your name?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 2:20 pm
Not here to have any of her deer? Well, good. Iphis shrugged and had another large mouthful broken off, custard yellow eyes still on the other female, before Penthesilea even managed to ask her name. She licked her bloodied snout before replying.
"Nice tae meet ye ah suppose, then, Pen.. Pen thi si lea? Did ah say that right? It's no half a long name ye'v got. Ah'm Iphis." The other female's name was a little hard for her to say, the sound was unfamiliar and the syllables hard to pick out for Iphis. Those of her old pack had most short, simple names and their words tended to be more clipped than melodious - their accent, like hers, a little harsh.
"This your land is it?" she asked, a little carefully.
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Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2010 6:47 pm
"Yes you said it right." She nodded her head. To many wolves her name was a mouthful and to Iphis it was no exception. "It is good to meet you Iphis." Though she wasn't sure exactly what to make of this other female it would do her better to be polite for now. At Iphis' question Penthesilea nodded once more. "Yes, they are my lands. You are not far from the border of Antianeira, the pack which I am Queen of - Alpha if you will."
Penthesilea glanced back over her shoulder towards her packs range and then returned her gaze to Iphis. "My pack is a sisterhood of sorts, living our lives as free of males as we can. Do you come from a pack?" She asked curiously, just because a wolf was alone didn't mean that it wasn't from a pack.
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Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2010 9:02 am
She'd have to watch her mouth a wee bit then, she supposed - if only because another ten wolves might be around here in the bushes somewhere. Queen, though? That was an interesting name for an alpha - Iphis liked the sound of it. A pack living free of males though - that was a bit odd. Iphis' last alpha had been males and there had always been males around - siblings, cousins and similar who'd tease her over her looks when she was wee, and simply ignored here as she got older.
She supposed they were good for something. Truth be told, though, she'd never actually experienced that something - a little bit inside her sighed at that thought. The last male she'd met had been a wuss - a useless bairn who she'd had to do the grunt work for.
"Nae males? Does that mean nae er... pups?" she asked, choking on saying about the other thing - one of the few things the big female was actually shy about.
Iphis's rabid feeding had slowed as her belly began to get full.
"No, ah've no had a pack fer a long time" Iphis admitted with a sigh.
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Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2010 10:02 am
Penthesilea let out a small chuckle, a rare thing for the queen to do. "We do not live our lives completely without males. After all they do have their purposes. But for the most part they are our slaves, doing our bidings to earn themselves the protection of the sisters and a meal in their bellies." She fell silent for a few moments before continuing. "Occasionally they may be chosen to sire a litter of pups or males outside the pack may fill that duty."
The female didn't have a pack. Well perhaps Antianeira could be her new home. "We are always open to new sisters joining our ranks Iphis. It can be a new life for you, one that will not be lax on work, we train constantly to hone our skills, hunt together but it is a good life" Perhaps the female would accept her offer, perhaps not. But Penthesilea knew her pack needed more members, so any able bodied female was more than welcome to join. And Iphis seemed to fit into that category nicely.
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Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2010 8:46 am
Well, that'd explain it, she supposed. A pack could do just fine without males around to be a pain in the arse except for the fact the pack'd eventually die out. To have them as servants (she wasn't entirely sure what slavery entailed) seemed even one better - Iphis wouldn't mind being waited upon by some of the males she'd grown up with and the very thought tickled her no end.
Iphis nearly choked when the female offered her a place in a pack. Noone had ever asked her to join - not games, not mating and certainly not a pack. She wondered if she was being made fun of, for a minute, but the female in front of her didn't seem the prankful type.
A pack. A home. After all this time? It seemed far to good to be true for the wandering, rough-edged female. One that males waited on you sure seemed cushy and if there was a bit of hard work, well, she'd never shirked that in her somewhat tough life.
"Ye want me tae join yer pack?" she tried to sound nonchalant, but it came out as a half-whisper, half-cracked uncertain tone. She wondered if this female, perhaps, could see her true self, the inner, strong dire-wolf she had imagined she was since a childhood story her mother had told her. It had helped her through some trying times in her life - she clung to it like a rock.
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Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2010 11:10 am
Penthesilea sat quietly as the other took a moment to think about the offer. Each wolf seemed to have their own way of accepting or denying an offer like that. Some jumped at the opportunity extremely fast, others required a little bit of time to think about it, and every now and then there were ones that took days if not weeks to decide. She was hopeful that this one wouldn't take too long. Iphis seemed like the strong type that was needed in Antianeira to rebuilt their numbers.
Smiling slightly as the other finally spoke Penthesilea nodded. "We can always use more strong sisters. I think you would find it a good place to live. That is if you wish to join us." Penthesilea would never force a wolf to join her pack, an offer would be placed out for them to join and they could either accept it, decline it or choose to think about it. "We work hard, train hard but lead good lives."
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Posted: Wed Apr 28, 2010 6:06 am
Iphis pulled her stocky body as straight as she could, looking directly at the female in front of her. "Ah wid be honoured!" the touch of pride in her voice was not feigned - she had never ever been wanted before and here was this pretty female offering her a place in a pack - one which, it seemed, relied on its members being strong and training hard.
Once said, though, she paused. What did one do in this sort of situation? She'd never been invited to a pack, didn't really know how she was to go about her business within the pack's terms now. "So ah... do ah huv tae do anythin'?" that didn't sound quite right... "Ah mean... what can ah do fer the pack?" she might have blushed a little if she could - social graces were not her forte.
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Posted: Wed Apr 28, 2010 10:34 am
Penthesilea didn't miss the note of pride in the others voice when the offer was accepted. It was moments like this that made all these months of traveling looking for old and new blood completely worth while. The Queen couldn't help but let a small smile cross her maw.
"Your duties will be the same as any other member. You will help with hunts, do border patrols, train not only yourself but help others to train as well." She paused for a moment before continuing. "As I said we work hard in Antianeira but it is so that we can remain strong and independent of others. More duties will be given to you as you learn our ways."
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Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 11:48 am
"Iphis gave a sharp nod, wondering already how she might 'prove' herself to her new pack. She wanted to show Penthesilea that she was strong, tough, made of better stuff than the average wolf - even if noone had ever bloody deigned to notice before. She wouldn't let them down.
"Ah kin definitely do that!" she affirmed. "Though ah might need someone tae show me the borders are aroon here ... where wid the main meetin' place be?" in her old pack, this had been seperate from the main den, as the alpha female was precious of her pups and only allowed close family nearby.
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Posted: Sun May 09, 2010 2:32 pm
"Good, once you are done you're meal we can be on our way." It may take a bit for the other female to adjust to the ways of Antianeira but Penthesilea had faith that she would. "Once we are there we can get you settled into a den and introduce you to some of the other warriors. One of which will give you a break down of your duties and show you the lay of the land." She considered which warrior to choose for such a duty, with Thealia preoccupied with her daughter and not the friendliest member that was not the best of options. Perhaps Hippolyta would do well for this job, well she could decide once they reached the dens.
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Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 6:37 am
Iphis nodded again. She had nearly forgotten the deer at her feet now, so happy was she with this notion of being part of a new pack, a strong sisterhood who would accept her and marvel at her strength, not make fun of it! Her mental world was one which had little grey area in it and she had now decided that this pack was obviously superior.
The idea of having her own, settled den was like music to Iphis' ears though the she wolf was still a little wary at the idea of these others she didn't know. Social graces were not her strong point and she wanted, now, to make sure her new sisters would like her.
She merely nodded to all of Penthesilea's comments and, eager to go, added that she was done with her meal now, licking the last of the blood from her maw.
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